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Not hell, tho' hell's black jaws in funder part, And breathe blue fire, could more affault his heart..

Confus'd, and ftruck with filence at the

deed,

He flies, but trembling fails to fly with fpeed : His fteps the youth purfues; the country lay Perplex'd with roads; a fervant fhow'd the

way:

A river crofs'd the path; the paffage o'er
Was nice to find; the fervant trode before;
Long arms of oaks an open bridge fupply'd,
And deep the waves beneath the bending
glide.

The youth who feem'd to watch a time to fin,

Approach'd the careless guide, and thruft him

in;

Plunging he falls, and rifing lifts his head, Then flashing turns, and finks among the dead.

Wild, fparkling rage inflames the father's

eyes,

He burfts the bands of fear, and madly cries, Detefted wretch. But fcarce his fpeech

began,

When the ftrange partner feem'd no longer

man :

His youthful face grew more ferenely fweet; His robe turn'd white, and flow'd upon his feet;

Fair rounds of radiant points inveft his hair; Celestial odours breathe thro' purpled air; And wings, whofe colours glitter'd on the day,

Wide at his back their gradual plumes difplay.

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The form etherial bursts upon his fight,
And moves in all the majesty of light.

Tho' loud at firft the pilgrim's paffion

grew,

Sudden he gaz'd, and wift not what to do; Surprize in fecret chains his words fufpends, And in a calm his fettling temper ends.

But filence here the beauteous angel broke, (The voice of mufick ravifh'd as he spoke.) Thy prayer, thy praife, thy life to vice unknown,

In fweet memorial rife before the throne: These charms, fuccefs in our bright region find,

And force an angel down to calm thy mind;
For this commiffion'd, I forfook the sky,
Nay, ceafe to kneel; Thy fellow-fervant L.
Then know the truth of government di-
vine,

And let these fcruples be no longer thine. The Maker juftly claims, that world he made,

In this the right of providence is laid;
Its facred majefty thro' all depends

On ufing fecond means to work his ends:
'Tis thus, withdrawn in ftate from human
eye,

The pow'r exerts his attributes on high; Your actions ufes, 'nor controuls your will, And bids the doubting fons of men be ftill. What ftrange events can ftrike with more furprize,

Than thofe which lately ftruck thy wond'ring eyes?

Yet taught by thefe, confefs th' Almighty juft, And where you can't unriddle, learn to trust!

The

The great, vain man,who far'd on coftly food, Whofe life was too luxurious to be good; Who made his iv'ry ftands with goblets fhine, And forc'd his guests to morning draughts of wine,

Has, with the cup, the graceless cuftom loft; And still he welcomes, but with lefs of cost. The mean, fufpicious wretch, whofe bolted

. door,

Ne'er mov'd in duty to the wand'ring poor;
With him I left the cup, to teach his mind
That heav'n can blefs, if mortals will be kind.
Conscious of wanting worth, he views the
bowl,

And feels compaffion touch his grateful foul.
Thus artifts melt the fullen oar of lead,
With heaping coals of fire upon its head;
In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow,
And loofe from drofs, the filver runs below.

Long, had our pious friend in virtue trod, But now the child half-wean'd his heart, from God;

(Child of his age) for him he liv'd in pain,
And meafur'd back his fteps to earth again.
To what exceffes had his dotage run?
But God, to fave the father, took the fon.
To all but thee, in fits he feem'd to go,
(And 'twas my miniftry to deal the blow)
The poor fond parent, humbled in the duft,
Now owns in tears the punishment was juft.

But how had all his fortune felt a wrack,Had that falfe fervant sped in safety back? This night his treafur'd heaps he meant to fteal,

And what a fund of charity would fail!

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Thus heav'n inftructs thy mind: this trial

o'er,

Depart in peace, refign, and fin no more..

On founding pinions here the youth withdrew,

The fage ftood wond'ring as the feraph flew.
Thus look'd Elia, when to mount on high,
His mafter took the chariot of the sky;
The fiery pomp afcending left the view;
The prophet gaz'd, and wifh'd to follow too.
The bending Hermit here a pray'r begun,
Lord! as in heav'n, on earth thy will be done.
Then gladly turning, fought his antient place,
And pafs'd a life of piety and peace.

The HYMN of CLEANTHER *.

Under various facred names ador'd, Divinity fupreme! all potent Lord! Author of nature! whofe unbounded fway, And legislative power all things obey. Majeftick Jove all hail! to thee belong The fuppliant prayer, and tributary fong, To thee from all thy mortal offspring due. From thee we came, from thee our being drew.

Whatever lives and moves, great Sire! is thine,

Embodied portions of the foul divine. Therefore to thee will I attune my ftring, And of thy wond'rous power for ever fing.

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The

*Cleanther, author of this hymn, was a Stoic-philofopher, a difciple of Zeno.

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The wheeling orbs, the wand'ring fires above,
That round this earthly fphere inceffant move
Through all this boundless world, admit thy
fway,

And roll spontaneous where thou point'st the

way.

Such is the awe impreft on nature round, When thro' the void thy dreadful thunders found:

Thofe flaming agents of thy matchlefs power,
Aftonish'd worlds hear, tremble, and adore.
Thus paramount to all, by all obey'd,
Ruling that reafon which thro' all convey'd,
Informs this general mafs, thou reign'ft ador'd,,
Supreme, unbounded, univerfal Lord.

For nor in earth, nor earth in circling floods,
Nor yon ætherial pole, the feat of gods,

Is ought perform'd without thy aid divine.
Strength, wifdom, virtue, mighty Jove! are
thine..

Vice is the act of man, by paffions toft,

And in the frorelefs fea of folly loft.

But thou, what vice diforders, canft compofe,
And profit by the malice of thy foes:
So blending good with evil, fair with foul,
As thence to model one harmonious whole;
One univerfal law of truth and right:

But wretched mortals fhun the heav'nly light..
And tho' to blifs directing ftill their choice,
Hear not, nor heed not reafon's facred voice,
That common guide-ordained to point the
road

That leads obedient man to folid good.
Thence quitting virtue's lovely paths they rove,
As various objects various paffions move.

Gc 3

Some

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